The Lightning's Hand
by adsiderum
Summary: During their battle in Ba Sing Se, Azula shoots down Katara instead of Aang, distracting him enough to prevent him from mastering the Avatar State. Instead, he runs away from the city to save Katara. One little change in the story can make a world of difference. AU. *Warning: fluff*
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This fic is a story that my friend wrote and wanted me to post for her, so all credit for this amazing story goes to her :) A new chapter should be up every two weeks or so.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 1**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

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"She got shot down by lightning. How is she still alive?" I hear my brother whisper.

"After Azula shot her, she landed in a pool of water. It took me a while to get over to her and I guess she must have healed herself while she was lying there," Aang replies in an almost mothering tone.

"Should we put her in more?"

I feel three sets of eyes on me and I close my eyes tighter so they don't know that I am awake. However, with Toph in the group, resistance is futile.

"I think we should ask her," she says before the other two do anything drastic.

I open my eyes to give her a dirty look as I try to sit up. Aang rushes to me to gently push me back down.

"No, relax! We will take care of everything around here," he says once he gets to me.

"Aang," I reply, "I'm fine. I just want to get back to normal." I try to sit up again, but grunt because of the shooting pain in my stomach.

"You're not fine. Take a few days off - I even made dinner tonight."

"Thanks, Sokka, but…"

"No buts, Katara. We'll do everything around here for a while. We can pamper you for as long as you need us to."

"Fine," I reply hesitantly, "but can you bring me to some water?"

"Yeah, it's right through those trees, about 500 paces that-a-way. Snoozles can carry you there."

"Thank you for your kind offer, Toph," I say as Sokka picks me up.

"No problem, Sugar Queen. Anyway, I figured a rock bed ride might be a bit too bumpy to be comfortable in your current condition."

By this point, we have made it to the river and Sokka looks at me to make sure it's okay to put me in the river. I nod then continue to say, "Thank you, but could you just leave me here? Healing myself is going to take a while, but I do believe that it'll go quicker if I'm alone."

"Fine, but we'll be back in an hour to check on you," my overprotective brother replies.

They leave and I lay back in the water and let my healing bending come forth - that's the key with healing, you relax and let your bending consume you which lets you channel your energies elsewhere. I'm not sure yet, but I think that will be the key to unlocking more secrets in bending.

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I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know, I hear screaming. Not in pain, but in fear - the fear that you find in a battle. I try to sit up, and subsequently cry out in pain. My stomach sinks as the realization of what I did hits me. This wound will not heal quickly, and with my scream, I just gave away my position. If anything, I worsened my predicament; I just made myself easier to find. I'm still weak and the pain from my wound is so intense that I can't move properly, making my bending suffer. I know that I will stand no chance in a fight, so I attempt to run instead.

Of course, I don't make it very far before I fall. I feel weaker now than when I started. I won't be able to last very long against anyone in a fight, but I'm not going to end up being able to run either. I don't know who is after us, but I know that, from the way the forest is lighting up, whoever they are, they are Fire Benders. I hope that Aang had on his disguise so they don't immediately realize who we are. If he's smart, he'll only be using Earth Bending.

I hear a twig snap, so I know that there are men tracking me. I've left a clear trail of footprints behind me because I just wanted to get as far away as fast as I could. I prepare myself for my last stand. I prop myself up against a tree and then I use the last ounces of my energy to pull a stream of water from my water skin to create a water whip. I will not go down quietly.

The soldiers have finally caught up to me. I send a whip of water at one, quickly knocking him off of his feet and the rest of the men promptly slip into fighting stances. There are five of them left and I have no chance, but that does not mean that I still can't make their lives difficult. They are not the royal guards that we normally fight. One can tell by their helmets. The royal guard has Fire Nation red helmets with a black trim that extends past the helmet like feathers, but these guards have the standard army helmet with white eye holes. They must be some of the guards to one of the local towns out on a routine patrol who just happened to run into four strange teenagers that fought back.

If we didn't fight, I'm sure that they would have eventually let us go, but with our track record, it is best to not take any chances. Because of this fight, when captured, I know that I'll be taken prisoner. Since it's war time, there is no telling where I might end up.

The soldiers move to surround me and I strike again. They have learned and quickly send my water up in smoke. I try again, but I am weaker than before. This time, my shot goes wide. Next thing I know, I am surrounded by fire. Any other time, this would be an easy thing to get out of, but now... now, I am trying not to fall over.

If I fall that could be my end. I am the last waterbender of the Southern Water tribe. They took all our benders once and kept them away from their home until they died. I don't want that happen to me. While I have trust in Aang's abilities, I am not sure if they are truly enough to end the war. If I fall, I will be captured; if I am captured, I may never return home and will surely meet my end.

All of my efforts are in vain. I slip and find myself on the ground in a whirlwind of fire. As I black out, I realize that I just went from one hostage situation to another.

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When I wake up again, I am in chains within a cell. A chain comes out of the wall and is attached to my wrist with a cuff. This restricts my movements to only being able to reach the bed and the toilet in my cell. I start to freak out because there is no way that I can fight back.

The pain in my stomach is nearly unbearable. I feel around for any type of water. I find some but it is on the other side of the steel walls of what appears to be, upon further inspection, a ship. They must be pumping in dry air because I cannot pull even a droplet of water from the air.

There is no hope for me escaping from here. The ship I am on feels as if it is moving swiftly, and I wonder where they are taking me with such speed. Are we leaving the Earth Kingdom or just going to another port within the gigantic nation? Either one means trouble for me. The most secure prisons are in the Fire Nation and the most dangerous prisons are in the Earth Kingdom.

"Hey," I shout out in hopes to elicit some response. "Hey! Where are we going?" I shout again, but louder.

This time, a soldier walks up to my cell. "Shut up, prisoner. There are special plans for you once we make it to the Capitol. Take these herbs so you can be a good little girl once we arrive." He tosses herbs at me then proceeds to walk away. I take a serious look at them. They are Chi blockers. If taken every forty-eight hours, they block even the strongest master's bending. You can tell if they are in use because of how one's pupils will over-dilate. There is no way that I will be able to hide my bending from my captors by refusing to take the herbs.

I am helpless here.

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The next time I awake, the contents of my cell have changed. Instead being sparsely furnished with just a bed and a toilet, it now contains food and clothes. The clothes are Fire Nation red and I suppose that I will be expected to wear them as long as I am kept here.

Not to knock Fire Nation fashion—the dress is truly beautiful with a wonderfully made material—but red is not my color. If I am meant to be a prisoner, I do not know why they would dress me so well. I understand the fact that the Fire Nation has a lot of money, but you wouldn't think they would dress their prisoners as if they are going to be paraded around their capital.

I finally feel us dock and I have just enough time to scarf down the food in my cell before a guard comes and unlocks the door.

"Come long prisoner, it is time to see your new home," he barks.

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They walk me off the ship to the docks. No one glances up at us. Either the people here are so used to prisoners arriving that it does not faze them or they are truly afraid of their government. They all divert their faces from me, so I will always be wondering the truth.

We walk through the city. The transition between the housing districts is slow but present. The houses slowly grow larger and more ornate, and then finally become downright regal. You can tell the switch from merchant homes and the nobility: there are less people in the streets, the hedges and fences are higher, and some of the houses even have security patrolling outside.

We reach what I can only assume is the Fire Palace. Everything, even the outside walls, is trimmed in gold. From outside, all you can see over those high surrounding walls is the sloping tiled red roof - the definition of elegance here. We approach the gates and stop for the first time since we started our journey began from the ship. My captor speaks to the guard on duty, "I am here with the prince's gift."

"It's about time you got here. The Fire Lord was getting impatient. But she seems to be worth the wait; she is quite the exotic beauty."

At this point, my amazement at the capital city turns to pure fear. I understand that prisoners have little to no meaning here, but I don't know why the Fire Lord would care about the arrival of an "exotic beauty". Also, why would I be on the special chi blocking herbs? My stomach sinks as I am hit with the sudden realization that if I was meant to be a normal prisoner, they wouldn't have bothered with those herbs. I would have just been sent to a prison and if I was caught bending, I would be highly punished.

Any further contemplation is interrupted by the soldier's orders, "Go ahead and take the whore to the harem. She will get further training there before she is given to the prince as his welcome home present."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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**Katara**

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My escort leads me through the maze of hallways in the Fire Palace. They are even more intricate than the palace in the in the Northern Water Tribe. As much as my fear demanded me to look down, I keep my eyes open and look around for any way out.

With all the twists and turns in the hallways, no matter how hard I try to figure out where I am, I become hopelessly lost. We arrive at what I believe is my destination. I can tell because my guard pushes aside silk curtains and we entered a grand pillowed room. I see women lounging. What little garments they wear are made with thin, flowing fabric. A middle-aged woman dressed in more clothes than the rest quickly approaches us.

"Is this my new charge?" she asks.

"The whore is here to be trained," my guard says, nodding.

"She is no whore," the woman shouts. "She is to be the courtesan to the future Fire Lord of your nation."

"But she is our prisoner," the guard replies timidly.

"No 'but' out of my Harem."

Without any further debate, the soldier promptly leaves. The woman looks at me and extends her hand to me.

"Hello dear, my name is Ma Ling. What shall I call you?"

"My name is Katara," I say.

"Welcome to your new home, Katara. It is my job to teach you what you need to know to please the Prince."

"Please the Prince?" I ask hesitantly.

"As you can see, dear, we do not have many girls that look like you or have your specific talents here in the Fire Nation. The Fire Lord wants to gift something special and unique to his son for his return from fighting the Avatar. Unfortunately for you, the news of your capture reached his ears just as he stared looking. The fact that you were different only made his desire for you stronger."

The more Ma Ling speaks, the shorter and more shallow my breaths become. Soon, my surroundings begin to swim and I realize that I am just short of hyperventilating. The Fire Lord personally requested me. Does this mean that he realizes who I am and who I have helped and wants to punish me himself? Or does it mean that I just had really bad timing?

Ma Ling sees my panic. "Are you okay, dear?"

"I am just overwhelmed," I say, trying to keep things simple. In truth, what I am feeling cannot be summarized in a short sentence like that. There's also resentment towards the Fire Lord for bringing me here, hatred for this nation for starting this war, fear that I will be found out for who I truly am, and uncertainty for what is to come.

Ma Ling continues as if trying to get me to forget my inner turmoil. "Finding out about the change of lifestyle can throw anyone. My girls here can help; most of them have gone through the same thing. It will take time, but you will adjust." She gives me a reassuring smile, but I am still not that easily convinced. "Now come along and I'll show you to your chambers."

Ma Ling leads me to the back of the brothel and moves aside a curtain that I thought was just hiding a wall. It turns out to be another room. Unlike the others, this one was meant to be a bedroom with a bed and a small dresser.

"This will be your room while you are training and when the prince has other commitments."

I fold my arms over my stomach as if I had a stomach ache. "So I'm just his glorified toy?"

Ma Ling sighs and her smile slightly fades. "I wouldn't use those exact words, but in a way, yes."

"How do you live like this?"

"Except for a few unpleasant moments, we live a charmed life. Here we are fed and clothed while being protected from the war." Ma Ling trails off but after a moment, her smile returns. "Now get some rest. Today may have been long, but tomorrow will be longer."

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I guess the travel and introduction of the day have tired me out because I do not think of food as I crawl into bed even though my stomach was growling with hunger only minutes before. Soon enough, I am asleep and I start to dream.

I am back in the Southern Water Tribe, wrapped in my sleeping furs. Gran-Gran rushes into my room and says, "Katara, you have slept late! You should be up and ready. Your suitor is coming today to meet you. Hurry! The scouts have spotted his ship."

I think nothing of Gran-Gran's comments. Since I am the Chief's daughter and we are in a time of war, it has been expected of me for a while to marry someone whose power and influence can help our efforts.

I pull on one of my nicer blue parkas, put my hair into my signature braid with my bangs hanging in loops, and then head out of my igloo. I do not see anyone until I reach the docks. The entire village is here. Being the Southern Water Tribe, that is not saying much, but something important must be happening to have everyone gathered together like that. I move through the crowd to get to the edge of the docks to get a better look at the incoming ship.

Once I make it to the front I see the ship come over the horizon. It approaches quickly so I can soon see the finer details. It is a Fire Nation ship. I feel fear shoot through my entire body. I do not understand why my father would arrange my marriage to a man from the Fire Nation.

While I am still pondering this, my father comes up to me, puts his hand on my shoulder and says, "Katara, I am so proud of you. A marriage between the Water Tribe and the Fire Nation will secure this time of peace."

Powerless to the course of the dream, before I know what I am doing, I say, "Yes Father, I could not be happier with this match."

No other words are exchanged between my father and I, but throughout the ship's docking sequence my mind continues to race. Dad says the war is over so this marriage is meant to secure the peace, but when and how did the war end? Why am I happy with this match?

I cannot ponder any farther because the ship's doors are opening. I soon see a plethora of guards get off the ship with their helmets. Among them I see a high ponytail that stands just above the helmets. I am guessing this is the man that is meant to be my husband.

The guards march to my place then part to allow the high ponytail through. I first look at his pointy boots—black with gold trim—to his grey soldier's pants, his red armored shirt, and then to his scarred face. It is a face that I have seen more than I would like. It is Zuko. He comes up to me and kisses me on the lips like we have done it before.

I wake up screaming.


	3. Chapter 3

**An A/N from the writer:** Thank you all for the love that you have given me so far on this Fan Fiction. I'm sorry that the posts are every two weeks but with school, college applications, and work, there is no possible way to speed up this process. Just as an FYI, I already have most of my chapters planned out, and I hope that they aren't too predictable. Also a big thank you to the lovely adsiderum for posting and editing my story. Hope you all keep reading because I have a lot more planned!

In response to the review from Savannah Wild… I never meant that Katara ever looked bad in the series, I just meant that red was not her favorite color when she looked so well in her native Blue.

-CM

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**Chapter 3**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

* * *

Ma Ling rushes into my room,

"Katara are you all right?"

At this point I am having a panic attack. The dream felt so real. I know most people say that about one dream or another, but my body felt so sure of it's actions while my thoughts found themselves in a totally new situation.

Ma Ling, now closer, repeats, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it was just a bad… dream"

"Well it may be a little early, but we can start your training. Today you will learn your way around the palace. Come with me and I will show you where you can get clothes while you are staying here."

I get up and follow Ma Ling out into the cushioned room across the way and through another curtain that was a deep purple instead of the maroon one that was placed in front of my room.

When we walk into this new room, my breath is taken away. there are racks and racks of clothing stuffed into this medium sized room. I look around and see mostly different shades of red and orange, but there is also a small green and yellow section and an almost non-existent blue section.

I try and head for the blue material, but Ma Ling stops me.

"Unless requested, we are required to only wear the red clothing. I am sure that you will find the choices sufficient. Go ahead and choose an outfit, come and find me in the main area once you are changed."

Ma Ling leaves me alone and I start to shift through the clothes. None of them provide much coverage. I end up settling on a long red skirt with a matching top that covered everything but my arms and my midriff. Before I leave the room, I stop in front of the room's mirror to fix my hair in the typical fashion, braiding two strands of hair and clipping it to the back of my head.

As soon as Ma Ling sees me, she clucks and starts pulling at my clothes and my hair.

"Your outfit will do for today, but we will have to find you something more fashionable to wear before you meet the prince. You always need to wear your hair down; it looks much better that way. Also, we need to find something for you to do with that necklace of yours."

I grip my mother's necklace before I respond. "I've had it since my mother died, I'm not going to get rid of it."

"I never said that you have to get rid of it, it just won't be the best to wear it around your neck while you are here. Try around your ankle. It will still be there, just in a different place."

I consider it and move the necklace slowly. I feel a pang of regret as I wrap it around my ankle as if this is betraying my family. But at least one of the few things I had left from my village would not be stolen from me.

Ma Ling starts to lead me out of the harem. She leads me through the well decorated halls. Before we have been walking for even a minute, the halls become more ornate. The pictures grow in size, vases have richer colors, and the pillars seem to have more carvings.

Ma Ling speaks in a hushed whisper, "This is the royal family's wing. Each member has their own hallway; Azula is the first one on your left, Zuko the second, and the Fire Lord is on your right. You will be spending most of your time is Zuko's room."

I nod to signal my understanding, but it does not mean that I am happy about my situation. I have gone from fighting as one of the best Waterbending masters of the world to having to serve one of my greatest enemies.

It is at this point I notice the guards. I knew that they were there -there are some scattered around everywhere here- but I had not realized that they were looking at me.

Ma Ling sees me looking at them and says,

"You are a true beauty and normally the guards have access to whichever girl they want. You are new and you are different and they cannot have you. It might be best if you keep your eyes down."

I've been on the road so long that I hadn't realized that I was growing into a woman men would look at.

Ma Ling notices this and puts her arm around my shoulder. "Come along and we will move to the next part of the palace." She leads me to a more open space. The pillars disappear and there is a large green lawn bordered by the vibrant colors of a hundred flowers. Next to a small pond in the middle of it, there is a figure sitting and feeding the baby turtle ducks. As we get closer, I see a scar and then gasp. The figure looks up at me with glowing ember eyes that flicker with recognition.

I turn and run.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** This is a short chapter, but because I have not written in awhile (gosh darn you college applications) I wanted to get something out. There should be a larger chapter coming in the next few days. Also I am adding *warning fluff* as suggested by a few readers. I promise more action and adventure is coming soon.

-CM

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**Chapter 4**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

* * *

I can't believe that I didn't notice it earlier. I should have figured it out. Of course the prince is him. I don't know why I didn't guess. He is the prince of the Fire Nation. I just thought that he would remain disgraced. No one said his name though so I just didn't think about it. He was just going to be some man that I would hate for the rest of my life. With all that Zuko has done, this is just perfectly ironic.

I start plotting how to stop taking my Chi-blocking herbs. If I can casually toss them somewhere, I'll be able to fight back when it is finally time for me to go to him.

By this time I have reached the Harem again. I pant as I bust through the curtain, and the other women look at me while I hustle through the heavily cushioned room to my special little area. I am still in shock. Why of all people in the entire world do I have to go to the wretched creature that has been trying to murder Aang since he emerged from his iceberg? Tui and La, please save me from this fate.

After my short little prayer to the gods that seem so far away from me here, Ma Ling yanks my curtain aside and stands intimidatingly in front of me.

"Katara, that is no proper way to act in the palace - in front of the crown prince, no less. I had to explain away why one of my charges behaved like that in one of the most cherished places in the palace."

"I just realized who the prince was. Please, you cannot make me serve him." I beg on my knees.

"That is what you are here for, so that is what you will do" Ma Ling says. For the first time her voice is not compassionate. With her ability to switch between kind and demanding, it is easily understood why she holds the position she does.

"Please, no, you can't."

"You will do what you are told and that is final. I will expect you at lunch to discuss your duties here in the palace."

Ma Ling stomps out of my room and I am left to contemplate my situation. I haven't been in the palace long enough to know my way around and with the number of guards I've seen in the hallways, there isn't a chance for me to escape before I am meant to be his. Again my mind wanders back to the herbs. If I stop taking them, it would take a week for my water bending to return and after then, I'd be able to fight back. I may not be able to burst out the front gate, but if I wait until night I should be able to climb over the palace walls and take out a few guards if need be.

I now have some sparkle of hope. I for sure need to find a way to stop taking my herbs. In the meantime, I have a way to get close enough to incapacitate the man who has been hunting the GAang for so long. If I am stuck in this situation, I may as well use it to help win the war.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

* * *

I head out of my room to the staff cafeteria. My head droops and my feet shuffle. Even with my little ray of hope, my spirits are still dashed. If I am able to assassinate Zuko, it does not give me much hope of making it out of the palace alive. It may be greater for the world and the war efforts, but it may mean that I will never see my friends or family ever again.

With these thoughts still in my head I get my food and sit in a corner by myself. Ma Ling soons join me. There is no smile on her face.

"Our timeline has been accelerated. You are meeting with the prince tonight. You are to do what he asks of you," she says as she pushes something toward me. "You are to take these." I look down to see the pile of herbs and some hot water that is now in front of me. "Those are both for your bending and will help you keep from having extra mouths to feed. You will have a dose of each once a day."

This may protect me from carrying the devil's spawn, but it only cements what is going to happen tonight with Zuko. I always thought that my first time would be with someone that I cared dearly for. Now there is a countdown to my doom.

I have less than 6 hours until I have to become the filth's whore. I have no way to stop it from happening. Sokka did give me some hand to hand combat, but I never took it serious enough to practice it very hard. If I were to fight Zuko, I'd only stand a small chance against him until he starts to use his firebending; then I don't stand a chance at all.

Ma Ling shoots me a look to take my herbs. I down them without a second thought because I am so preoccupied with what is to happen tonight.

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The hours pass quickly, and before I know it, it is time for dinner. I have been inconsolable all day. Some of the other girls were trying to talk to me but eventually they realized I wasn't even hearing what they had to say.

I am still preoccupied with the thought of what is going to happen tonight that I do not notice Ma Ling come and sit down in front of me. She startles me out of my thought by barking orders at me. "After you finish eating, I and two guards will escort you to the prince's room. There is an outfit waiting for you in there. You will clean yourself up and then put on that outfit. And remember - you will do what the prince tells you and nothing less."

Ma Ling pauses as she waits for me to respond. Even though I was not entirely present, I listened to her because I was waiting for her to pardon me from the horrible activities that are set to occur tonight.

"Katara, do you understand me?"

I nod my head yes, and Ma Ling leaves. I spend another thirty minutes pushing the food around my plate before I just sit and stare at the wall. A few moments later, Ma Ling approaches me with two guards flanking her on either side. The guards walk around the table towards me and I slowly stand up. They each grab one of my biceps and half-drag me out of the dining room.

We soon reach the prince's room. Once there, Ma Ling pushes through the door. We enter this overly ornate room. The walls all are made out of a dark wood and covered with the Fire Nation flag. Above the red canopied bed there is a large painting of a happy family. My eyes start at the father figure standing behind the rest and move down. There is a beautiful woman sitting and holding a little girl, and has a hand resting on a boy's shoulder who is standing in the front. Except for the man, the family looks happy. This must be the royal family from years ago.

I cannot believe that this once happy family has turned into the tortures that are known today. One has to wonder what changed them into who they are now.

The guards lead me to the bed and roughly toss me on. Ma Ling approaches me.

"You are to wait here for the prince. When he is done he will either send you back or have you stay. Listen to what he says and all will be fine. Until you prove you won't run, I have to tie you here."

One of the guards grabs my wrist and ties a rope around my wrist while the other guard ties his side to the bed post. The rope is long enough so I have some room to move around, but not enough leeway to reach anywhere close to the door.

Ma Ling nods her head at me and leaves with the guards. I'm stuck awaiting the redeemed prince. I turn my attention to the knots keeping me bound. I lose myself trying to untie the knots. It looked so simple when the guards tied it, but now I can barely even loosen the knot.

I am so intent on the knot that I lose track of time and the next thing I know, I hear the door open behind me.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**The Lightning's Hand**

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_**Katara**_

* * *

I am so intent on the knot that I lose track of time. The next thing I know, I hear the door open behind me. I quickly turn wide eyed to face the door, only to lose my balance and fall flat on the bed. I quickly sit up and look right at the reason why I'm stuck here.

With widened eyes he truly looked bewildered to see me. I jump off the bed and slip into a fighting stance. He is still standing by the by the door when he starts to laugh.

"Honestly, we both know that that is not going to do you any good. I'm sure they've blocked your bending by now. It would be more surprising if they didn't block a new courtesan's bending. They do it with all the rest."

I had forgotten about the herbs, but I don't let that discourage me. "That isn't my only weapon. You honestly think that with a brother like mine he wouldn't teach me to fight without my bending?"

He chuckles as he moves toward me. "Katara, do you think that would truly make a difference against one of the best firebenders in the world?"

"Getting cocky now are we? I bet you would have to call your guards."

"Look at the pot calling the kettle black."

"Why would I have any reason to call YOUR guards?"

"Um… I meant umm" the banished prince stumbles with his words for the first time.

"You know that I was talking about your bending and fighting abilities," he says after finally recovering.

"So now you're going to try to flatter me into your bed?" I said raising my eyebrows

"No - that's not - that's not it. How did you even get here?"

I hesitate and wonder what good can come from telling Zuko what happened. He soon replies to my unanswered question, "Honestly Katara, I am asking as a courtesy to you. If I really wanted to I could find out from my advisors."

"How do you not know yet?"

"I knew there was someone planned for me, they did not tell me who she was or where she was coming from."

I see no use in not telling him, so I start my story. "I was captured. When they found out that I was a waterbender they decided that I was to be a present to the returned prince. Why else would I be in your room without my bending? Pretty lousy assassination attempt if I do say so myself."

"Speaking of assassination I'm surprised your friends haven't busted in here. How long have you been away from them?"

"I'd say about three weeks."

"And they haven't found you yet? How incompetent are they?"

"They aren't incompetent" I shout "I… I don't know why they haven't come for me but even if they have I hope they are just continuing with the war effort and have enough faith in me to know I can get out on my own"

At this point Zuko has moved closer to me. He ponders what I said for a moment and takes that opportunity to sit on the corner of his bed. He pats a spot next to him on the bed. I move away from him until my back is up against the wall. It gives me only 5 feet of space between me and him.

"You understand if I wanted to do something to you, I would have done it already. Unlike my father I do not like to hear the tortured screams of women while doing something that is supposed to be pleasurable with them."

For the first time I have nothing to say back to him. I know that what he just said has pardoned me for at least another night, but I have a feeling that there is something attached to this.

Zuko lowers his voice as he continues to speak, so I am forced to move closer to hear his words. "There is one thing, though. You are supposed to be mine, but if I do not take advantage of that, it means that I forfeit you to my father. Right now I can guarantee that there are people listening for telltale signs that I have claimed you. So as unfortunate as this may be, we have to fake it."

"Fake it?"

"We have to give them no reason to report to my father that he can have you."

"I see." There is an awkward silence as I contemplate my future as Zuko looks mildly ashamed.

"What does faking it mean?" I asked with my head bowed.

"It means loud grunts and screams and clothes scattered around while we pretend to sleep as someone comes in to scope out the situation."

"I see… but why would you even want to do this for me?"

"Honestly," he says with a smirk only Zuko could pull off, "we both know that you are stuck here. I am seeing if I can still woo a girl without her caring about my family status."

I have nothing to say to his last comment without smacking him so I respond with the only thing I can think of: "And how long should this 'faking it" last for?"

"A good long time. I think that you should probably end up staying here until morning. Just to keep up the appearance of course."

"Fine. Lets just get this over with. How do we start?"

"You might not like this, but it's best that we start with the scattering because we aren't sure how long before they sneak in."

"Whatever, as long as its done."

We both start undressing. I leave my undergarments on and turn around to see a completely sculpted Zuko still wearing shorts. He hands me a blanket and I give him a puzzling look.

"We have to lose it all if we want to be believeable."

I grab the blanket, turn around, wrap it around myself, take off my undergarments and throw them in a corner of the room. I have already accepted the fact that this is the least undesirable path and am too busy being preoccupied with the fact that I was almost given to the Firelord to even worry about undressing around Zuko.

"Are you done?" He asked.

"Yes," I respond as I turn around. Now all he has on is a towel that clings quite tightly.

"Then we should probably head to the bed and start with it then."

We climb onto the bed and both start making odd sounds. We do it for a while and finally Zuko makes this weird grunt and scream thing then pulls me flat onto the bed and pulls a cover over us.

"Shhh stay quiet and pretend you are sleeping," Zuko says as he wraps one arm around me. We hear the door open and shut quickly. Next comes the pitter patter of feet as their owners enter the room to inspect the situation. Soon whoever it was leaves the same way they came in.

Because I am so relieved, the next thing I know I am actually falling asleep in Zuko's embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**The Lightning's Hand**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_**Katara**_

* * *

I awake with a jolt. Again I have found myself in a strange room. It takes a moment, but soon the past nights events all come rushing back. I look around and do not see the prince. After some more snooping, I hear some soft snoring at the end of the bed. I look and see Zuko sleeping on the floor. I make some ruckus to try and wake him up. It succeeds and he sits straight up with eyes wide and daggers of flame shooting out of his balled up fists.

"Sorry," Zuko says. "I'm not used to having others in my room all night."

"I thought you said that it would look better if I stayed. How is it helping me if you didn't have any..." I pause trying to figure out an appropriate word to use, "other girls stay?"

"Again, it comes to the fact that you are mine. I don't have return you for the use of others and can keep you for as long as I like."

"You can _keep_ me?" I say, outraged.

"I just saved you from my father and you focus on the 'keeping you' part?" Zuko replies with some snark.

I realize that he is right - he did save me from his father. It leads me to wonder about his intentions so I ask, "Why would you save me?"

With a furrowed brow Zuko takes his time answering me. "Everyone truly believes that I have killed the avatar. I cannot have you blabbing."

"This is something I can use to get you to release me. Why are you telling me?"

With his golden smolder, Zuko looks straight into my eyes as he says, "I am trying to get back to where we were in the catacombs"

My eyes widen as I realize the severity of what he was saying. "We can't just go back to that like nothing happened," I shout. "I opened up to you, I told you about my mother." I fall to my knees onto the floor. "I haven't told anyone about her since she died. Then within the next minute you betrayed me to go help fight with your sister against Aang. How could I ever go back to trusting you?"

Zuko looks truly ashamed. All he says is, "I think it is time for you to go back now."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When I arrive in the curtained room, I am quickly surrounded and bombarded with questions.

Ma Ling soon breaks through the crowd. "Really girls, do you not remember your first night? Honestly, give the girl some space," she says as she leads me to my room. Once we are there she asks me, "Katara are you okay? We expected you back hours ago."

"The prince saw no need to return me promptly because I am his," I reply, keeping my answer curt.

"Are you okay?" Ma Ling says, overlooking my rudeness.

It is an odd question and gives me some pause. I respond with the only thing that can come coherently from my head, "How can anyone in this situation be okay?"

This time Ma Ling does not take my disrespect. "We are quite lucky to be in this _situation _as you call it. We are kept and protected from the war as well as fed and cared for. There is nothing more one could ever truly need," she snaps at me.

I am ready for a fight so I scream back at her. "I need to be out there fighting. Yes, I may not get three proper meals a day but at least I will be making a difference and not bowing in submission to the Firelord."

Ma Ling reels back and slaps me. "You shall not ever talk that way again while you are here. You have the rest of the day to sit here and think about how to change your attitude because tonight you are going back to the prince."

As soon as Ma Ling finishes her sentence she leaves my room. Before I can even think of leaving, a silhouette appears outside of my curtain. There is something ominous about the shape of the guard so I know I am stuck here for the rest of the day.

I use my time to pamper myself like I haven't been able to in forever and plan my escape. I comb my hair, wash it, comb it again, and then properly braid my hair up into the traditional southern style. I scrub all traces of dirt from my face and my nail beds while thinking of ways to get out of the palace without being noticed.

The trickiest part will be the guards. It appears as if each and every corner is so diligently watched. There are regular changes so there will be no chance to take advantage of their fatigue. Unless I can find a blind spot in the surveillance, there is little chance that I will ever make it over the walls.

If there is any hope at all of escaping, it will only work if I find a way to stop taking my herbs. But there will be problems with that because of the nature of the two herbs I am taking. They look and taste too similar. Presented on a platter and with little time to study them, I don't think I could tell them apart. In the recesses of my mind I remember a trick my Gran-Gran taught me. The herbs have slightly different smells. It takes practice to be able to tell them apart, but if I can discreetly smell them, I can tell them apart. There is no chance that I am going to have the Prince's spawn, but I do need to regain my bending.

I lose track of time in my plotting and before I know it, Ma Ling comes through my curtain with a few guards. With her comes my daily tea.

"You are to take this and be ready to see the prince in 30 minutes." A guard throws something at me and Ma Ling continues. "Some of the other girls helped pick this outfit out for you. You will be expected to wear it when seeing the prince tonight."

With that Ma Ling and the guards leave. I have 30 minutes to find the right herb and get dressed. Thank goodness I had already done my hair so it looks like I had the time to make myself look presentable in the 30 minutes they gave me.

I sit down in front of the tray and grab a different herb in each of my hands. I take the one in my left hand and smell it first. It smells sticky sweet, almost like the sap that comes out of trees. I remove the herb from the proximity of my face, take a few breaths to cleanse my nostrils and then bring the other herb to my face. This plant has more of a bite to its smell. It almost resembles the smell of spices put into most of the foods here.

I think back to what Gran-Gran taught me so many years ago in the Southern Tribe's healing hut. The difference in these two herbs have to do with where they were harvested. The birth control herb has its origin from the Earth Kingdom meaning it would have smells that closely resemble other things found in nature. The Bending suppressor is from the Fire Nation meaning it has much stronger smell. Having remembered this, I toss the herb in my right hand in the planter in the corner of my room hoping that the leaves already present will hide the tossed medicine.

I quickly make the tea and while I am waiting for it to properly steep, I put on the clothes I was brought. Again the clothes were made from materials from the red side of the spectrum. This time, only a veil-like material covers my body with my more private parts of my anatomy covered by a thicker opaque type of cloth.

By the time I have finished my tea, two guards barge into my room.

"Stand up, it is time to go," one orders.

I see no use in resisting. The better a prisoner they perceive me, the less likely that are to suspect that I would do anything. The guards lead me down the now familiar hallways towards Zuko's room. Once we are there, they tie me to the headboard again and leave me alone in the room.

All that is left for me to do is to wait.

* * *

**A/N:** Thanks to all of my readers. It has been so much fun writing this story knowing people are waiting for the next chapter. That being said, I need to take a short hiatus from recreational writing. I need to work on finding scholarships for college and making the decision of which school I am actually going to attend. That does not mean I will be gone until May. If all goes as planned, I should be back by the end of February or the beginning of March. I promise there is much more to come. Sorry for the wait.

-CM


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**The Lightning's Hand**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_**Katara**_

* * *

I only wait for about 5 minutes until Zuko arrives. He slams the door as he walks in. I jump and fall off the bed.

"Are you alright? " he says as he rushes over to me.

"I'm fine," I reply as I brush off his attempts to help me up.

"Okay then. Did you eat tonight?"

Before I can say anything in response to Zuko's offer of food, my stomach answers with a loud growl.

"I will take that as a no. I'll order some food and it should be up here in about five minutes. Until then, can we talk about what you said last night."

I give him a puzzled look and say, "Why would we need to talk about it? I thought I made myself clear last night. You had my trust and you broke it. I doubt you could ever earn it back." He takes a step towards me and I quickly retreat away from him. He looks dejected by the move while also continuing to inch closer to me.

"Katara, you have to understand that that was one of my weakest moments. My sister promised me something I never thought I could get back. In the moment, it was so alluring that I couldn't pass it up. Now I realize my mistake and all the people that I hurt - especially my uncle."

Again, he steps towards me. This time, I stay still in my silence. There is really no appropriate way to respond to that. Luckily my awkward wait is interrupted by a knock on the door. Zuko shoots me a concerned look as he heads to answer the door. It is our food. We eat in relative silence, sitting across from each other, both taking our time to finish our meal. When we finish I clear my throat and finally say what I have come up with in the time of our silence.

"I don't give my faith out often. I have been hurt to often to just trust everyone I meet. After our time in the cave, I thought I saw a glimmer of a good person. As soon as your sister came, you switched to a person that I had never seen before."

"I-" Zuko attempts to say as he apologetically reaches out towards me.

"No, if you want to hear this, you need to let me finish my thoughts before you say anything." He nods and I continue. "All of a sudden you went from a kind and endearing human being to being ruthless and doing everything in your power to kill Aang and I. You were the ruthless Fire Nation prince that everyone said you were. Is your honor more important than what is right?"

He pulls his hand back, looking truly stunned and sorrowful for a decent period before he responds. When he does, it comes out in almost a whisper. "I had been trying to earn my place back for so long, Azula finely put it within my reach. I reacted upon reflex of who I was, instead of who I have become."

"But have you become that person if you revert back so easily?"

Again he has a long pause. When he continues, he has turned his body away from me, "I can't expect you to understand."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that we have not had the same struggles in life. You were loved by both parents and never had to fight for favor over your sibling. When I was stripped of my title, I lost everything I had ever known."

Now it is my turn to take my time before responding. With all my efforts, I am still at a lost of words. I try to move towards him this time, but I stop when Zuko snaps at me.

"You don't need to hear my sob story. I am the Prince of the Fire Nation." Zuko's body language has completely changed. Instead of the sweet and relaxed position that he was in earlier, Zuko leans away from me, all of his features excessively rigid. He continues with a harsh tone, " I need no sympathy from a common wench. Leave me. Wait for my summons if I want you back."

The prince turns from me. It is as if he hides his face in order to hide something else. With the way that he just spoke to me, I know there is no argument to be had. Anything that I could say would only make it worse. I leave and hope that nothing bad happens to me because I have seen to have lost Zuko's favor.

* * *

**A/N:** Since I have officially committed to college, I guess it is time for me to attempt to finish this story. I make no promises on regular updates until I finish school, but I will put forward every effort to get at least one chapter a month out to you all. This is actually a kind of short chapter, so you may be able to expect one for next week ;)

-CM


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**The Lightning's Hand**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_**Katara**_

* * *

It has already been a week since Zuko first kicked me out of his room. The other girls in the pillowed room are shooting me looks; they know something bad happened and I wonder what it means for me. I was on the outside of their groups before this and now I hug the walls while I am doing my duties to stay safe from the judgement of the other girls.

Ma Ling acts as if nothing has changed. She keeps me busy. It is impossible to tell if she is trying to keep my mind off of things or trying to show my usefulness in other fields. So far I have been just running around to various rooms serving meals and helping in the kitchen.

Today has been no different. I have already brought breakfast to quite a few rooms and now am in the process of delivering lunch. So far my jobs have gone smoothly. And of course, as soon as I think that I run into someone. I spill my tray onto her and fall back because of the force of the collision.

While I am apologizing profusely, I start to look who I spilled my tray over. Gold tipped pointed boots that further up the leg turned black. The typical style for a female here in the capital. Her fire nation red pants plume out in the typical fashion and are then covered by a black armored top. Once I see her face, I realize that I could not have ran into a worse person. It is Azula that I have dumped all the food over. I can feel heat radiate off of her and I know it's because of her rage

"You fool of a girl! Do you know who I am? I will have your life for this! No one should have let you served in the palace." At this point I see flames tickle the ends of Azula's fingertips. It quickly turns to sparks. I scurry to get my back against the wall. I am defenseless against her without my bending. If it was anyone else, I could get by with the hand-to-hand combat that Sokka tried to teach me, but as much as I hate to admit it, Azula is one of the best benders in the world and is never afraid of going in for the kill. Luckily, a commanding voice comes to my rescue.

"Azula, leave her alone," the voice shouts at her.

"Zuzu, you know that we must not let fumbles like this go unpunished," Azula throws back at my unlikely savior.

"We cannot kill everyone that angers you, Azula. If we did that, there would be no one left." This is something more than normal sibling banter. There is no kindness underneath these harsh words. Both of the fire siblings carefully choose their words knowing the full weight of what they are saying. Neither wants to be the first to cave in to their anger and both wish to injure.

"Those are harsh words coming from the recently returned Prince. Shouldn't you be more worried about not making any waves, dear Zuzu? After all, we still aren't sure if father is thrilled that you are home. Have you even been invited to a war meeting yet?"

Something about that simple sentence sets Zuko off. His eyes narrow and his feet spread apart to a fighting stance. Azula is the better fighter and she knows it. She almost appears to be standing normally but a trained bender can tell she would be able to let loose an attack at any moment. She continues to bring down her brother in almost a lazy manner.

"You've been back for, how long, Zuzu? A month now, is it?" she comments with a sticky sweet tone. "We both know there has been plenty of meetings in that time, yet Father has had you busy with meaningless tasks. Maybe he is afraid that he will have to scar your other eye and send you off to hunt a baby in the water tribe if he ever lets you into one of those meetings."

"Oh shut up, Azula," Zuko finally snaps. "We both know you aren't in on those meetings either, but I am assuming you'll never be let in, considering you're just a girl after all." Azula looks absolutely furious in this instant. She doesn't even have her signature sadistic smirk on her face - just a pure scowl.

Zuko grabs my wrist to lead me away. "Come, Katara. It's time we leave this Princess that will never get to sit on the throne."

"Wait. Katara?" Azula says with a bit too much excitement to mean anything good. "As in the Avatar's girlfriend Katara? Oh Zuzu, You've been hiding a big secret from me."

Zuko tries to pull me away faster but a wall of blue fire springs up in our path.

"Zuzu, you can't get away after that comment," Azula says with a hint of excitement in her voice. When she tries to continue, she is interrupted by her older brother.

"There is no advantage to holding her, Azula. Let us go." Zuko extinguishes the flames in front of us.

"But Zuko, say the Avatar is still alive, unlike what we told father." Zuko tenses and slows his pace an almost indistinguishable amount. "We could trade her for him instead of keeping her around as your little pet."

"Azula, learn to let a topic die. The Avatar is now a baby in the water tribes. It will not be a real threat to us until after the Fire Nation has won the war."

With that, I can tell the conversation is over. Zuko takes some quick turns and before I know it, we are back at his room.

"Did she hurt you at all?" he asks sweetly.

"I'll be fine," I respond as I tenderly rub my abdomen. The lighting scar still has not healed properly. I've been rubbing the salves that Ma Ling gave to me, but all they have done is lessen the redness and none of the pain.

"Really? Then why are you rubbing?"

"It's none of your concern. Remember, I'm just your little pet. You proved that when you kicked me out of your room the other day."

"I didn't kick you out, I told you to leave"

"And how are they different?"

"I— They're — no." For the first time today, the Prince stumbles for words. "I just save you and this is how you thank me?"

I start to say something but think better of it and close my mouth. If it wasn't for him, I'd just be a stain on the wall right now. Zuko seems to understand that I am not going to say anything else so he steps in.

"I'm sorry I kicked you out the other night. I scared myself. All of a sudden I was telling some of my most intimate things with someone I barely know. We're not even from the same Nation. It felt almost as if it was treason."

"Why are you apologizing? I have been the one that has been crueler towards you." My attitude towards Zuko is beginning to soften. After all he did just save my life and seems to have no ill meaning towards me.

"I'm apologizing because I know what it is like to be away from home with the thought that you can never go back."

"I— I understand." Homesickness begins to creep into my voice. This is really the first time that I have given a thought to being away from home. I wrap my arms around myself as I think of the South Pole. The place where I grew up, yet still a place where I have been away from for so long. As I feel a tear run down my face, I turn to look away from Zuko and not to appear weak to someone that hunted me and my friends all around the world. I hear Zuko approach me and hesitate for a moment before he ends up wrapping his arms around me. I collapse into them.

He whispers in my ear, "Shhh, don't worry you can just stay here tonight."

He gently lifts me off the ground and soon I am placed upon his bed. Before I know it, I fall asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**The Lightning's Hand**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

_**Katara**_

* * *

I awake to an empty bed. I think nothing of it because that is what the norm has been for quite awhile now. When I actually open my eyes is when I remember that something is different; this is not my area in the curtained room. It takes a moment for last night to come back to me but as soon as it does, I look around for Zuko. I do not see him in the main room.

When I pull back the covers to make exploring easier, I see that I am still wearing all my clothes from last night. I expected nothing different, but I am still surprised. PAssing this thought by, I start to wander. To the right of the bed, there are two doors: they open to a closet. Its large enough that I'll come back to explore it at a later time.

I head down the length of the room. I am not sure why I did - there are only tapestries down this way. I sigh, walk past the doors that enter into the room, and proceed to head to the other side of the room. This side has more trinkets to it. I see numerous daggers, but only one is placed in a glass case. I make a mental note to ask Zuko about it later.

The only interruption in the tapestries is a pair of matching swords. With the size of the blades, I am thankful to see that there is a decent amount of dust covering them. I continue back towards the bed. I reach the bathroom doors, pop my head in, and see nothing. For whatever reason, Zuko is no longer in his room. I decide to take this time to clean up. I wash my face and my hair.

I walk out of the bathroom, drying off my hair in a towel when I hear the door open. I turn towards it and see Zuko sneaking in with a tray of food.

"When did you get up?" I ask.

"I wake with the sun. I have been up for about an hour. Since you seemed to be in a heavy sleep, I decided to go on a morning jog and then get some food so we can talk more about what happened last night."

"Actually, I'm not sure if I can. I have other jobs that I have to complete."

"Katara, the reason you were brought here was for me. Since you are with me, there will be no other things that you have to complete."

"Oh, right. I guess that is true."

"Katara. With me, you do not have to guess." Zuko says this as he reaches for my hand. I let him take it and move closer to him and the food.

"So what did you get?"

"I wasn't really sure what you would like, so I got a lot of little things in the hope that you would at least like at least one." He seems to almost question himself and his apparent shyness about it makes me laugh.

"What?" he asks, almost surprised.

"You are going way over the top for me. Truly, I would have been fine with a piece of bread."

"I am the crown prince of the fire nation. Even I would laugh at myself if I went down to the kitchen and asked for only bread."

"Well then, let's just eat."

As soon as we sit down and have taken the plates off the tray, there is a knock on the door. Zuko sighs as he rises and heads that way. When he opens it, we are treated to Ma Ling holding a tray with a tea pot on it.

"Sorry for the inconvenience Prince Zuko, I am just here to bring Mistress Katara her daily tea."

"Oh, thank you. I didn't realize that she had daily tea."

"Nothing to worry about sir, just please make sure she gets it. Now if you would please excuse me, I have other things to do today."

"Go ahead. Thank you for bringing this."

And with a slight nod of her head, Ma Ling is off. Zuko carries over the tea and pours me a glass.

"I didn't know you needed daily medicine," he says with a puzzled look as he sits back down at the table with me.

"I don't need it. They have forced me to take it since I arrived here."

"Forced to take what?" he says, concerned.

I delay my response. If I tell him about both herbs that I am taking, not only will I die of embarrassment but if I only tell him about the herbs blocking my bending, then it means that I might have a chance to gain back my bending. I go with the option that I only tell him about the bending blocking herbs. Nothing else has happened that would require him knowing about the birth control herbs.

"They think that I am dangerous enough that they need to block my bending."

"Well to be fair, you have been fighting with the Avatar since he emerged from his iceberg. You have become a very well known bender throughout the kingdoms. If they were planning on keeping you for any length of time, they needed to do something about a powerful waterbender in the Capitol."

"I don't understand how it takes your sister forever to realize who I am, but all the people in your armies realize who I fight for."

"I don't think that they know who you are, but rather that they realized that you were a waterbender when they saw you fight."

"Yeah, I guess that would be an obvious reason to give me those herbs."

There is a silence between us. Zuko looked almost ashamed.

"It is not my choice that they do this. It is an unfair to take away anyone's bending. I can not imagine not having my firebending to fall back on."

He pauses again and slowly raises his eyes to look straight at me.

"If you end up staying in my room, they will have no way to monitor if you take them or not. We'll take the tea with us every morning and just pour it down the sink once we get back."

"Are you sure? I could be a danger to you."

"Honestly, watching you cower away from Azula yesterday was too sad; I would not wish that upon anyone. As long as you do not bend when others can see you, I see no problem with you having your bending."

"Even if that means I could kill you in your sleep?"

"There has to be some show of trust between us. I could do the exact same thing. This way at least we are equal."

"Thank you. I will owe you for this."

"You do realize that this means you will have to stay in here, right? You'll need to move your schedule so that at the time you need to take the tea, you'll always be in here."

"How will we do this?"

"It should be easy. You'll just tell the head of the brothel that I requested that you to move into my room permanently."

"And would I need to worry about other people coming in during the day?"

"Just the person who cleans my room, I believe, but I'd doubt she'd give you any problems."

"Thank you, Zuko. This means the world to me."

"Again, the trust has to start somewhere. To me, this is the best way to do that."

"So with trust means we can talk about anything, right?"

"Sure."

"Why is only one of the daggers in your room covered by a glass case?"

"That one was gifted to me by someone very close to me."

"Who, your mother?"

"No. Actually, it was my cousin Lu Ten."

"Why have I never heard of him before?"

"He died in the first battle of Ba Sing Se. I barely remember him. The thing I remember most was how lost my Uncle was when he came back from the battle. Before he left to take Ba Sing Se, Lu Ten came to me with the dagger. He kneeled before me and said, 'Zuko, with me leaving, it is time to show everyone what a man you have become. This is the first dagger that my dad gave me. It is now your turn to take it.' I did and I cherished that dagger. When Lu Ten didn't come home I offered the dagger to Uncle. He told me that Lu Ten meant for me to have it and I should keep it safe until I could pass it on to my first born. I put it in a case to protect it and it still stays there to this day."

It is my turn to comfort him. I reach across the table to grab his hand. He holds on tight. I try to say something to comfort him, "You've lost in the same way that I have because of this war haven't you?"

"I thought we realized this in the cave. The same loss but for different reasons. Yes, this war takes its toll on all."

"Zuko, I never realized"

"Never realized that it could get to the royal families? Why would anyone be free from it?"

"You think that the leaders won't be affected by the war. I am not sure why this ideal stuck with me because I saw what happened in the North when you rained fire down upon our heads. It just isnt a common thought."

"War touches all. Sozin thought the comet would be a quick start and easy end to the war. He was wrong and here we are almost 100 years later waiting for the next comet to come and end the war for the good or bad. Hopefully we will not be in this capital when everything finally ends."

"Not in this capital? What do you mean?"

"I mean that the world will be lit on fire. Just because I have not sat in on these meetings does not mean that I do not know what is happening. My Father's plan is to light the Earth Kingdom on fire. Not only will it crush their spirits but it will also showcase the power behind the Fire Nation. The survivors will have little choice but to surrender to the Fire Nation's rule. I just hope to be in a corner of the world that will not be on fire that day."

"You can't accept the World buring as the only option. There's Aang now he is much stronger now than when you first faced him…"

"It still may not be enough. Without a firebending teacher he has no hope of beating even the weakest firebender when the comet comes."

"Then become his teacher. You could help. You seem so unhappy here we can leave."

"Do you know how hard it is to escape the palace?"

"Yes, you think that I honestly wouldn't try and canvas the possible escape routes? With two master benders it should be no problem."

"We still have to wait until your bending is back. That means at least a week maybe two."

"That's the perfect amount of time to come up with a plan."

"You really want to do this?"

"I should be asking you that question. Would you be okay running to people that you hunted for years?"

"If it keeps the world from burning, yes I would do anything."

"Thank you, Zuko," I say as I get up and actually go to hug him. I don't give a second thought to it. It feels natural because I am so grateful in that moment. With his height, the hug is comfortable and warmth coming off him, I close my eyes and am able to relax for the first time since I got to this accursed place.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**The Lightning's Hand**

**-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-**

_**Katara**_

* * *

Moving into Zuko's room came with little issue. I told Ma Ling and all she did was ready a chest for me. She filled it with very nice outfits that, no matter how I pulled on them, showed too much skin in my opinion.

Sleeping arrangements are just the two of us in his oversized bed. Sometimes at night I wake and find us cuddling even though we started just about as far away from each other as we could get. When I wake up in the morning though, Zuko is always out of bed and normally not even in the room.

One day when I wake Zuko is busily moving about the room.

"Zuko, what are you doing at this ungodly hour?"

"Sorry, Katara. I didn't mean to wake you. I've just been planning for something for later today."

"Are you going to tell me what?"

"No, I want it to be a surprise," he says with the biggest smile I have ever seen him with.

"You wake me up then keep me in suspense? How is that fair?"

"Because it is better off as a surprise. You'll appreciate it so much once we are there."

"You're not taking me out of your room just so you dont have to clean up the mess after you kill me are you?"

"What would make you think that?"

"Well, this is the first time we really have taken an expedition out of your room. You seem to like to keep me isolated from everyone else in the palace."

"I haven't heard a complaint about it, I assumed you didn't mind."

"Well, no. This way I have been able to practice my bending. But that still leaves the question of why we are leaving your room today."

"I want to show you something."

"And that isn't some code for something else?"

"Don't you trust me by now?"

I am not sure if Zuko means this as a joke or if he is serious about it. I scrunch up my face and hesitate before I respond. I seriously have not thought about trust in the past few days. Yes, we have spent a significant amount of time talking to each other in the past few days, there really isn't much else to do. We hadn't really covered any serious topics but talked none the less.

"I guess I just don't know where I really stand with you," I say.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, you act like this kind person - an actual human being. Then, I remember that you are the prince of the Fire Nation. It's people like you that I am supposed to be fighting against to save the world."

"How about we get to where I want to show you and then we dive deeper into this topic?"

"Ok, then lets go."

"Wait, where is this coming from? Not just five minutes ago you were complaining that you didn't want to be woken up, now we can't get there soon enough."

"Well of course that's what happens. You are withholding information from me. I, unfortunately, am one of those people that just has to know everything that involves me."

"Ugh, they are all around the palace. Except, normally, they want to know everyone's business. It's not a joke when it is said that the palace walls have ears."

"Hey," I say, acting offended. I fake punch him on the arm. "So far, knowing as much as humanly possible has served me very well. It has kept the Gaang alive in a few instances."

"Yes, so very prepared that you run out of food periodically."

"Well that was more so in the beginning before we really knew much about traveling the world. I am not too big to admit my faults."

"Alright then, 'not too big', let's get a move on. We're losing light," he said as he grabs the basket that he was making such a ruckus with just a few moments ago.

"How can we lose light when the sun isnt even up yet?"

"Are you kidding? The sun has been up for about 2 hours now."

"And how do you know that?"

"Can you walk while you talk?" he says as he shepherds me to the door.

"I don't think you are giving me another option."

"True, we already have spent so much time just talking. In answer to your question, I know because I wake with the sun. It is in my blood. The sun is one of the driving forces of my element. Just like you feel stronger the fuller the moon is, is the same way I feel when the sun is up. I never want to waste any time with that feeling of power."

"So that is a very poetic way of saying that we should escape at night?"

"Well, that wasn't my intention, but I guess Uncle rubbed off on me with his hidden meaning speeches."

At this point of time, we are nearing a secluded part of the castle. We see less and less people even though it is the busiest part of the day. The halls open more and let more and more light through. There is less art and the halls almost seems to have a slight layer of dust on them. It give the impression that this is a less traveled area. Finally, the building gives way to a garden. While it is surrounded by the walls of the palace, this garden is still large enough to make someone in it think they are in their own little world.

The outline is surrounded by tiny trees and while they are dwarfs to others I have seen, they still would be considered fully grown. On the inside of the tree rim, there are dozens of different types of flowers, all different colors. Towards the middle, there is a small pond with a tower of rocks creating a small waterfall. The pond is very simple but elegant at the same time.

Within the pond are the cutest little animals. Zuko heads towards the edge of the pond, and the animals excitedly swak and move to the edge closest to him. He reaches in the basket and pull out a loaf of bread. With quick movements, he rips off pieces of the bread and gives it to the creature.

"Katara, come over here. They don't bite unless you are withholding their food from them."

"What are they?"

"You've never seen turtle ducks before?"

"Zuko, I grew up at the South Pole. Something tells me these little critters wouldn't do well in the cold."

"Right. Sometimes I forget that you aren't from here."

"You forgot?" I say suspiciously, I try to keep the attention off me as I raise a tiny bit of water from the pond. Since I moved into Zuko's room and stopped taking the herbs, my bending has returned, but I haven't really gotten the chance to use it. Dousing Zuko in water seems like the perfect opportunity.

"Well you have adjusted to the palace well. I haven't heard you complain about the heat and you look outstanding in red."

"Oh, you're just saying that," I say to get him talking again. At this point, I have a decent sized ball of water hovering above his head.

"No, I wouldn't be saying-" Zuko's sentence stops as soon as the water crashes down on his head.

"Saying what?" I ask. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you over the water."

"Oh you little-" Zuko mumbles as he reaches for me. I move backwards, but there happens to be a rock underfoot, so I fall. With my sudden stumble, Zuko too topples and lands right on top of me.

"Little what?" I whisper back. Zuko starts to lean in.

"Nothing, sorry about that. I didn't hurt you, did I?" Zuko quickly pushes himself up. As soon as he is standing, he offers his hand to me. I take it and he pulls me up after him.

"I'm not physically hurt, my pride just took the hit after that fall."

"At least you aren't covered in water. But since we can't change the past, why don't we actually do what I had planned for us today."

"What would that be? Because I have to admit, I have already had a great deal of fun."

"Well, this doesn't require me getting any wetter, so I wouldn't mind my plans."

"Then what are they?"

"Come to the basket and find out." I follow after Zuko and he reaches into the basket and pulls out more bread.

"I thought it would be fun to take a break and feed the Turtle ducks today. Now, they are going to ignore you for a bit because you are new. Don't be offended; just rip some bread off and eat it yourself. Soon they'll get closer and feel free to throw some of the smaller pieces their way."

I follow Zuko's instructions. The Turtle ducks behave exactly the way he said they would and he does not seem the least bit surprised. In fact, he grins like a proud father.

"Do you do this often?" I ask, because how else would he know how they would act.

"My mom always brought Azula and I here when we were little. Azula never enjoyed how quiet she had to be so the ducks would come near her. When our mom disappeared, Azula never came back. Other than the grounds caretakers, I am the only one ever here. I have never seen the ducks leave the palace so I bring them food every so often."

"That's sweet."

"You sound surprised, but believe it or not, I find it therapeutic so I come here whenever I need to unwind."

"Then why didn't you bring me here sooner?"

"You seemed fine to hang out in my room, but I figured that since your bending is coming back, I figured you would like a nice place to practice."

"Thank you! But are we sure that no one will see me? That could end badly."

"You'll be fine, I can't actually remember the last time I saw another person out this way."

"So it really won't matter if I waterbend?" I slowly start to slip into a fighting stance and I hope that Zuko won't notice.

"If you feel that you are ready to do so, I see no reason why you shouldn't."

"Good." I quickly pull a water whip. "Do you want to see how rusty I am?"

"Oh why not." Zuko mirrors my tactics and creates a fire whip of his own.

At this point the turtle ducks have moved back to their pond. I'll have to make sure I don't accidently swipe one up when I draw for water. I strike first with my water whip by wrapping it around his wrist then freezing it to the ground. While he is trying to melt that ice, I pull more water and freeze his feet where he stands. Finally he gets angry enough to smoke through it and the fire whip starts coming at me.

It licks the edge of my heels but luckily I am fast enough to evade the worst of it. Zuko's feet are still stuck in the ice so I decide to take a full on attack. I start running towards him and there is a split second of surprise that allows me to get close enough to him, melt the ice and tackle him.

I pause; after our little fight, we both are out of breath. With me on top, I have all the power of when we get up. Instead of moving off him, I make the impulsive move to lean down the small distance between us and touch my lips to Zuko's.

After the quick peck, I position myself to start to get up. As soon as I start to push up, Zuko pulls me back down to him. My loss of balance makes it that much easier for him to flip our positions. With me trapped beneath him, he closes the distance this time and we kiss again. I turn my head to the side to try and get him to stop but Zuko just proceeds to kiss down my neck.

"Zuko, should we… stop… someone might… see," I say with a struggle because he is distracting my mind.

For the first time he pulls back. And he laughs out his answer, "You weren't worried about people seeing you waterbend but you are worried that they'll see us kissing?"

"Uh, maybe."

"Would you feel better if we moved back to my room?"

"Actually, yes please."

"Fine, we just need to gather up the stuff and then we can go." After that statement, I grab the leftover bread and Zuko grabs the basket and my hand to quickly lead us back to his room.

As soon as we get in, he shuts the door, drops the basket and stare at me with his ember eyes that give the impression that they would devour me if they could.

I reach for his wrist and lead him to the bed. Once there, he pulls me down on top of him and starts to kiss any part of my bare skin that he can reach. I push him so he is flat on his and part the fabric of his shirt. I am unsurprised to see that he is perfect sculpted. It takes a lot of strength for the moves of firebending.

My shirt is next and is uneventful because the fabric itself was so flimsy. Zuko pauses when he sees my bindings.

"Never seen any like them?" I taunt

"Well no, I also have to figure out how to get them off." I must give him a weird look because he quickly follows with "if you don't mind."

Now I make a conscious effort at raising my eyebrow. I decide against giving him any sass and take off my bindings myself. He must like what he sees because he dives right back into kissing me.

Soon we are in nothing but our lower coverings. Again Zuko pulls back as if to ask my permission. I smile and nod and fully enjoy what comes after.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**The Lightning's Hand**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

* * *

I find myself truly adjusting to the higher temperatures in the Fire nation. Today, I am unsurprised to find that I was finally able to sleep beneath one of the luxurious blankets covering Zuko's bed. I am, however, surprised that Zuko is in bed next to me. And he is shirtless. Not that I mind; it is a good view to wake up to. Only when I move to get up do I realize that I too don't have any garments on. Finally the events from last night come back to me. While I may not be a morning person, the grogginess that normally surrounds waking up for me is gone.

It's not that I regret the actions from last night- not at all, they were truly wonderful- it's that I just remembered about the herbs. Yes, I have my bending back but I also stopped the contraceptive herb. I'm sure that just one time won't make a difference but I am definitely going to need to figure out which one blocks my bending and which one will keep the next generation of fire lord from growing in my tummy.

Since Zuko is still sleeping, I decide that I might as well get breakfast so I head to the kitchens. Unsurprisingly, they are packed with people scurrying to get the Palace started for the day. I see the area in which they normally put the tray for Zuko's room, grab it, and head back towards his room.

As I start to turn down the hallway that leads to his room, someone clears their throat.

"Look, the pet finally realized its job. I'll admit, I am surprised that Zuko isn't chaperoning you though. One can run into dangerous people here." Azula is baiting me and I am going to do my best to move on quickly.

"That is true, but I think he believes that no one really wants to dirty the hallways."

"Now the pet has a mouth on her! How lovely! I bet you put that mouth to good use as Zuko's whore."

"Well in that sense, I must get back to serve my master."

"The prisoner who is so devoted to service. You rarely find such good help these days. Zuko obviously doesn't know what he has here or he would not have let you out of his room. One day, I might just have to take you for myself."

"He would never allow that!" I say with a little too much sass. I try to cover it up by quickly continuing talking. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get this back to the Prince to bring him his breakfast."

"Yes, Zuzu does tend to get mad when he does not get his breakfast by dawn. I am surprised that he has not awoken yet though, normally he's the first one up in the the palace. I personally think the servants make a game of trying to beat him to the kitchens. Why don't I escort you back to his room to make sure that my brother is alright."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary. He should be up by now anyway." At this point, I'm sure he is up and realizes that I am nowhere to be found. If I don't get there soon, I won't be able to sneak my herbs into a spot without Zuko realizing what I am doing.

"Fine, I'll leave you two to go at it again. Word of noises from the royals' bedrooms truly travels quickly throughout the palace." With that, Azula stalks away.

I continue down the rest of Zuko's hallway with no one to pull me from my thoughts. It is so early in the morning and yet Azula already has heard the latest gossip. As I reach the door to Zuko's suite, I wonder if Azula is the only royal that pays attention to idle servant chatter or if it would somehow travel to Firelord. Not that it should matter, I think back to the first night that I had spent in his room. Zuko made sure I was comfortable enough and that I would be protected. Hopefully there wouldn't be a second thought about the absence of noise between these 2 nights.

Once I step through the doors, I am greeted with a warm good morning from Zuko.

"You disappeared early this morning, lovely," Zuko tells me.

"Maybe you're just the one that slept late today."

"I always wake at dawn. It is nearly impossible to be awake and be to the kitchens before me. I believe some of the staff have made a game of trying to beat me there in the morning."

"I know. Azula told me when I saw her well after sunrise today. I think you actually slept in today. Maybe you should engage in late night activities more look very well rested today for a change."

"To be truthful that is probably the best I slept since I got back to the Fire Nation."

"You think going home would provide some of the best sleep. I know I miss the the smell of a fire when I am sleeping bundled in furs. I haven't been able to go home in so long. There are foods that I have not had in years because I am helping Aang. Well, was helping him at least."

Ignoring the last part of my statement, Zuko brings me close before talking again. "The weather here might not be the best to sleep in with furs on, but give me a list of the food that you miss. I might be able to get some for you."

"I wish it were that easy; all of the foods that I miss can only be found at the South Pole. It wouldn't be worth finding any of that food stuff for just me. I'll be able to have some when the war ends."

"Truley, you could have anything you want. It is no issue. We can just ask and someone will get it for you."

I take a step back and change the tone of my voice. "You are missing my meaning. My people have already been terrified enough. You were there when your ship disembarked. There is so much fear of Fire Nation ships. Nothing is worth causing my people that much fear."

"I understand," Zuko responds sullenly. "Is there something else I can get you that reminds you of home?"

"Honesty, I don't know why you would want to help me in this way. Nothing short of me getting out of here is actually worth going out of your way to get me."

"You know I can't do that."

"You honestly can't tell me you're happy here though."

This is the first time that Zuko expression changes from apologetic to taken aback. He seems to genuinely consider what I said to him. I let him think about his response and I am content to sit in silence while he ponders his response. Finally, he speaks.

"I wanted to come back for so long so I could regain my honor in the eyes of my father. I never realized that after all that time with my uncle, I would want to help change things for the betterment of the world. I forgot how stuck in their ways the advisors are. They believe that having the Fire Nation rule the other nations is the only option. Now that I have seen the world, I am starting to believe that that may not be the best option."

"So even though you were chasing us all those years, we helped lead you to the right path. Who would have thought that it would only take me almost being killed to enlighten the fire prince to his real alliance?"

"You almost died?"

"Didn't you realize that when your sister shot me with lightning?"

"I guess I did. I just didn't have much time to process it when I was whisked off here. Speaking of which, I have duties that I do have to attend to today so if you would please excuse me."

"I get it. The Crown Prince has certain duties to attend to because it's his 'birthright' and all. Don't feel bad - I understand how hard it is to run a nation. I watched my father do it before my mother died and then I watched my Gran-Gran take over the tribe. I can only imagine how hard it is running a nation of this size."

"Thank you, I'll be back when I finish with my daily duties."

With that, Zuko leaves the room. When I'm sure that I am alone, I tidy up for a while and wait to make sure the coast is clear. Once I feel that 10 minutes have passed, I head to the bathroom and turn on the water. When the basin is full of water, I move into a bending stance. I know it is a perfect opportunity to work on my technique. I give my full concentration to pulling out a small stream of water. It is not as hard as I anticipate and soon I am able to get all of the water out of the sink, I fill up the tub.

I move through a typical training form. The water I control if froze and unfroze in a multitude of shapes. I hear the door to Zuko's room open. Because I am so surprised by this fact, I let the water slosh onto the ground and slip out through the bottom of the door. The feet that had entered the room now hurry towards the bathroom,

"Katara, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, you just startle me, I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon so I thought I would try to work on my bending. Give me a few minutes and I will have this all cleaned up."

"You don't have to do it all by yourself."

"No, no, it's fine. I made the mess and I can clean it up. And think about it, it just gives me more of a chance to work on my bending"

I hear a sigh of submission and Zuko then walks away from the door. I mimic the movement of water trying to be absorbed by towels but really I am fully relying on my bending. I am almost done with getting all the water down the drain when the door to the bathroom opens. The last bit of the water ungracefully drops down the drain as Zuko catches me in the middle of bending.

"I see your bending is back."

"It's getting there, I should be back to full power in just a few days."

"Out of curiosity, were those the only herbs that they had you on,"

"Well, no, they had to considering what my position was to be here."

"And what about those herbs?"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**The Lightning's Hand**

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

* * *

"I understand the stopping of the bending blocking herbs but was it truly necessary that you stopped even the birth control herbs?"

"As I told you before, it is nearly impossible to tell the difference between the two. Because nothing had happened between us at first, I figured it wouldn't be the end of the world if I stopped. The other night was such a whirlwind, I didn't think about it till it was too late."

"Too late? Is that all you have to say about this? There is a reason for those herbs. The next heir to the Fire Nation cannot come from... from…"

This is the first time that Zuko's anger subsides since we have started this conversation. I know what direction that he was going to take our conversation."

"You can't have a whore be the mother of your first offspring. I get it. I am a prisoner here. As long as I belong to the palace, I will never be anything more. The other thing is, it was just one time, there is no telling if I even am pregnant yet."

"That is one way to think about it but still not ideal. What would happen if you were no longer a prisoner here?"

"What do you mean? I'll get paid for my work here?"

"I mean, what would happen if we were to leave?"

"Leave where?"

"Here. The Fire Nation. You said something earlier that really made me think. My views no longer match those of the current empire. I want to help make the world whole again. Not with one Nation ruling, but with all the Nations working together in peace. If we leave the palace, we will have a chance to find your friends and let Aang find a proper firebending teacher."

"Does that mean you're offering?"

"Only if you believe that we have a chance at finding your friends. If not, we'll become fugitives from the Fire Nation with nowhere to hide."

"Why would you be considered a fugitive? How could they ever be sure that I didn't kidnap you on my way out of here?"

"Azula would never let them believe that I didn't help you get out of here. I am sure that if she even imagines the sound of fighting, she will be front and center to prove that she deserves to be the next Firelord. If she manages to prove herself to my father, I think he will have no problem making her his sole heir."

"You're okay with giving up what you worked so hard to get back to?"

"As long as you are with me, I see no problem with it. The thing is, we have to plan on how we will get out of here. It will obviously need to be under the cover of night and we will both need to be at full strength but it won't be impossible. Your bending is obviously better but will it be ready by the full moon?"

"I see no issue, especially because it is the full moon, we should be unstoppable."

"Perfect. That means that we will practice tonight. We'll go to the garden that I showed you. Not even the guards go around there at night. How often have you trained against Firebenders?"

"Trained against? Never. Fought against? Every time we ran into you."

"So a few hours after dusk we shall train. Don't forget, sleep is important. Since we both have obligations to attend to tomorrow and we will be fighting for some of the night, why don't we climb into bed for some sleep now."

"Is sleep all you want from climbing in the bed?"

"Since you haven't been taking any birth control herbs yes, that would be it. When we run away, we should try and get a stash of some. I know I want to continue this liaison and I am assuming you do as well?"

"Well, of course I do. Otherwise, I would not willingly be spending so much time in your room."

I give him a little peck and we tuck ourselves into the oversized bed.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

We are awoken when a servant brings dinner into the room. I rise to greet him. I grab the tray, thank him for his serves and bring the tray to the bed. We eat in silence because we are both preparing for the fight to come.

Once we have changed into clothing more fitted to move and bend in, we slip out of the room unnoticed and hide away on our way to the Turtle-duck garden. When we get there, the first thing I do is look up at the sky. The moon is almost full and I feel myself getting stronger in its light. With no words spoken, we slip into our fighting stances with the common understanding that the goal is to trap the other on the ground.

Zuko lights short fire daggers while I make water whips from the nearby pond. I am the first to strike. I lash out with my water whip and freeze it around Zuko's wrist. With that surprise movement, I use it to pull him closer to me. Before I am able to flip him, he burns his way through the ice. Once released, Zuko aims a fire kick in my direction, but I am quick enough to roll and I snag his leg with a shot of ice. It hits along the pant leg and traps him to the ground. While he focuses on that icicle, I quickly hover three more above him and one at a time secure his appendages. When he finishes his struggle he speaks, "I thought your bending wasn't back in full strength. How is it that is was so easy for you to kick my ass?"

"I may or may not have a lot of pent up range since my capture. While I am a bit rusty with the finer arts of my bending, it is almost like penguin sledding: you don't do it for the longest time but as soon as you catch your penguin, it all comes rushing back."

"You'll have to show me one time then."

"It would be my honor if we ever manage to get out of the heat of the Fire Nation."

"The best way to do that is to train some more."

"Do you want keep practicing or do you want a chance to redeem yourself after how badly I just beat you even though I have been out of practice for so long?"

"Does it really matter? Let's just try it again."

With that, we both slip back into our fighting stances.

The fight begins the same as the other but quickly moves to be a closer fight. We stop using our bending and start to fight with our fists and feet. Zuko is much better at this type of fighting than I am. He lands a kick on my stomach and I go down. After that shot I do not move. I can not seem to catch my breath. I do not know if that is due to the scar from the lightning or something else. My period is supposed to arrive soon so hopefully this is just cramps coming early. Zuko rushes to my side.

"What's wrong? I didn't think I hit you that hard, did I?"

"No, it's not you. I do think I need to be done for the night."

With that, Zuko helps me back to his room.

"Are you sure you are okay? I have never seen you go down that hard and not get back up."

"It happens occasionally, I am guessing that it is just a combination of elements but I think that we are going to find out if we are having a child sooner rather than later."

"I see." Zuko says pensively. "I guess that means that we need to get out sooner rather than later. Honestly, our best bet of getting out of here is if we try to go over the wall here. You'll have access to the water in the pond and odds are we won't run into any of the guards on the inside of the palace. Once we're over, they will have non-benders posted so they won't alert any of the residents that there is anything amiss with blasts of fire. I'll bring my dual dao swords and if you use ice shards in the same capacity, we should have no issue fighting our way out."

"That seems like an amazing plan. When do you want to do this?"

"In a few nights it will be the full moon. Since you are so much stronger at night, it might be to our benefit to escape then."

And with that we head to Zuko's bed to tuck in for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

AN The puppetmaster is one of my favorite episodes from the ATLA series. I find it a great loss that I cannot include Hama in my story. With that in mind, the way that I am going to include bloodbending in my story is going to take a dark turn because Katara has no one to teach her the control needed for bloodbending.

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The days waiting for the full moon passed slowly. We both tried to keep our daily lives as normal as possible while part of the night was always devoted to fighting. More and more, Zuko has been sneaking up behind me, wrapping his arms around me, placing his hands on my stomach, and kissing my neck. He has really embraced the possibility of a child but I believe that are also hoping that I am not pregnant. Whatever the outcome, we agree that we need to find my friends. The only way that we both feel confident in raising this child is if the war is over and balance is restored. To have a chance of that, Aang needs a firebending teacher and who better to do it than Zuko?

Zuko and I have many conversations dealing with where in the world my friends are. We both have taken wild guesses as to where we think they may have ended up. Zuko's wildest guess was the impenetrable Boiling Rock prison while I have said that they have been glaciale hopping in the South Pole. But we both agreed that since the battle in Ba Sing Se, the best place to start is within the Fire Nation colonies because, odds are, if they wear the right disguise, no one would be able to recognize them. Since the colonies are part of the Fire Nation, there will be less soldiers since there won't be a worry of revolt. Also, Aang needs to find a Firebending teacher before he can properly master the Avatar State and be able to defeat the Firelord to end the war. Zuko has been traveling with his Uncle long enough as the disgraced Fire Prince to know ways onto the islands that won't ask any questions and from there, we'll just jump islands until we are able to find the Gaang.

We obviously need some supplies so we can get to the Fire Colonies. Each day, we are taking a little bit extra from the kitchens and storing it in a corner of Zuko's room. The night that we do leave, we will split the supplies between us in case we are separated at any point in time. We each will have enough food to last us 3 days, a sleeping mat, and a combination of coins so we will be able to buy goods we need.

On one of his trips out of the palace Zuko was able to find water skins. While they are shaped like the ones I normally carry, that is where the similarities end. The skins are nothing like the seal lions that I know, In fact the texture makes them seem more as if they came from some sort of fish. As long as they hold water, there will be no issue.

When Zuko gifts them to me, he requests that I sit down,

"Katara, we need to talk."

"What about Zuko?"

"The herbs, I knew they had ones that blocked bending but the birth control ones slipped my mind. Do we need to bring some with us?"

"What do you mean, why wouldn't we?"

"Well it raises the question of do you want to continue this affair and do you know yet if you are pregnant or not."

"No, I am not sure yet but I felt that what was between us was enjoyable so I see no reason as to why we would not continue this."

With that, Zuko pulls me into a passionate kiss, "I am glad that you agree with me. I'll work on getting some brought up to my room. There is no reason since you live in here, that they would object to that."

"Zuko quick question, how are your survival skill. I am fine at cooking with what I have available to me but Sokka was always the one to hunt and start the fire for me. Especially for the tea, Zuko how will we start the fire for the tea?!" Zuko takes a moment just to stare at me after my little freakout.

"Katara, you do realize that you are asking a firebender if he can start a fire?"

"Oh right," I say feeling foolish. "I guess I am just looking for any reason to freak out."

"It'll be fine, we will get out of the city and find your friends. Once we do that I will train Aang so he can beat my father. We can do this."

I have had no face to face run-ins with Azula since the time where she called me Zuko's pet. The most that I have seen of her is when she is training in one of the many courtyards of the palace. She is truly terrifying to watch. I would never want to fight her if I was not at full strength. I know that I have nothing said anything to hint of our departure but with Azula, that does not mean much. She always seems to know how to be at the right place at the right time. If anything, she is not going to rat us out because she will want to be the one to drag us back to the Fire Nation to show us to her father. Because of her need to be the best Fire sibling, there is little worry that anyone in the palace will be catching on to our plan before we actually make it over the Fire Palace wall.

Finally, the day comes that we will be making a run for it. We pack bags with what we were able to grab. They contain a change of clothes, sleeping mats, a small stash a food, and all the money we think we could use. Zuko has his blades and a knife and I have the waterskins he had gotten me. They will work long enough until we find the Gaang and I get the ones that I have been carrying with me since Sokka and I left the Southern Water Tribe with Aang.

On the day of the full moon, Zuko and I sit in his room and chat.

"I can't believe that we are so close to getting out of here. We'll be able to help the war effort again."

"You are the one that gets to say again, I just have to hope that your friends accept my help. After all, I did hunt them for quite a while. I wanted to kill the Avatar to regain my honor."

"You really don't have to call Aang the Avatar formally. You are going to help in his training. The Gaang doesn't have many other options when it comes to Firebending masters. I trust you and that will help immensely as well. I will give them no other options but to trust you."

"That is so very kind of you but will your words do it?"

"They'll have to. If we do have a child coming in a time of war, they are the best family that we both will have. And it is not like I would let them hurt you. They will not be happy with it at first but they will have to learn to deal with it. Did you remember to get the tea leaves?"

"Oh, I am so glad you asked. I had them bring up a month's worth. We can always buy more when we are on the road if or when the need arises."

I bite my lip and look at him and say, "If, I really hope it is when. Should I take some now?"

"As much as I would love that, I think rest is more important than anything because who knows how long we will be moving this evening."

After night falls, we wait an extra hour to ensure that the majority of people have gone to their rooms for the night.

With full waterskins strapped to my back and Zuko's swords strapped to his, I pull water from the turtle duck pond and make an ice ramp to get over the wall without incident. Once we are over, an entirely new story begins. There are two guards on us right away. They rush Zuko and seem to ignore me. With a quick flurry of fists, Zuko is able to take them down without even taking out his swords.

While fighting, Zuko suddenly shouts my name. I look to him but he has gone back to fighting. I then turn around because I hear the clatter of armor. Behind me I see two guards coming to join the fight. For wanting to keep it discreet, these soldiers are able to easily get the word out of people escaping. One would think that they would be more worried about people getting into the palace instead of those who are running to get away from it. I freeze the fighters to the outer wall of the palace in a way to prevent them from bending their way out of their bindings. I put the leftover water back in my makeshift water skins but I seem to be missing more water than I used on the soldiers. Maybe these new waterskins are not working as well as we thought they would. It seems as if the water is slowly leaking out the more I move.

We run from the palace without any more incidents. That does not mean much because we still have to make it out of the Capital. By now, all the guards seem to know about the two escapees from the palace. There must have been a messenger hawk sent to the gates. We can only hope that they have not realized who they are yet. Zuko has not used his bending so we might be able to get out of the city without anyone realizing that the crown prince is helping a prisoner escape but since I must be the only water bender in the Fire Nation capital with the war going on around us, I can only hope that they think I found some random non-bending person from the palace.

We finally reach the outskirts of the dormant volcano that is the Fire Nation capital. We choose to head to one of the smaller passages out of the city because the walls protecting it are just too high to scale or create our own way out. The only thing left before we are safe now is one guard tower. Since there are so many ways in and out of the city, they have to equally staff all the towers because they have no clue which one we will head to. Of course, we are not going out of the main gate, but that does not mean that there still are not plenty of people we will have to get through before we can get out.

As soon as we approach the tower, balls of fire are shot at us. We are able to dodge between the smaller ones and the ones that would assuredly hit us and cause damage, Zuko is able to use his bending to redirect the shot just enough so it doesn't hit us but still looks as if he doesn't have any type of bending. The gate begins to close. I take the last of my water out of my water skin and freeze it between the gates so Zuko and I will still be able to slip through. There is not much water left; most of it must have sloshed out when we were running towards our final destination. I will just have to switch hand to hand combat until we are out.

The fight was going as smoothly as one could expect it to, Zuko with his blades and, surprisingly, me with my hands and feet. I was able to incapacitate most of my foes quickly or just send them towards him. While there was a break in the fighting for me, I see a soldier come up behind Zuko while he is fighting two others in front of him. Zuko is clueless to the danger that stands so close to him. I cannot let him be hurt. I will not be alone in this world. The man that I must protect could be a father in less than a year, he would be a willing teacher to the Avatar, he could be the reason that the right side wins the war. To protect him, I reach out for the nearest source of water that is not my ice wedge.

Before I know it, the sword-wielding soldier behind Zuko drops his weapon with an audible clang and starts to twitch. In this moment Zuko is safer but it does not mean that the soldiers will stop coming. I keep reaching for the water source. My brow starts to spasm. Normally I would think nothing of it because that always happens if I'm struggling to pull water from a far distance away from me but I can feel how close this water is to me. I am surprised that I can't see it, it feels that close. I continue to try to pull the water to me.

The next thing that happens is a surprise to all that are around. Suddenly, that soldier starts bleeding through all of his visible orifices. I am still pulling for that source of water to come to me. Luckily the man bleeding is a distraction enough for Zuko to disarm the other soldiers. Again, more soldiers run towards us. The difference this time is that there is now a huge ball of blood floating in the air. The soldier that was bleeding is now not moving on the ground and some of his comrades have run to him. I realize that the mass of blood happens to be the water that I am controlling, but the gravity of what I did and where it really came from does not really register in my mind.

Seeing no other options, I use the blood to fight against the rest of the soldiers. I make two quick water whips and remove the weapons from all the soldiers hands. None of soldiers continue to attack and some even run from us. Since no more fighters come at us, we are able to run through the gate with no more resistance. With that, I melt the ice wedge. As the gate closes, so does Zuko's and my connection to the Fire Nation.

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AN 2.0: If you couldn't tell, I am back! This chapter literally took months to write but hopefully none will have to fight with my school schedule for a while. That being said, I am working 40 hours a week and taking a 3 hour class this summer but hopefully I will finish this part of my story before I have to go back to school.


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